In general, a container that contains liquid materials of oil, paint and chemical products as well as beverages such as water and milk, includes a container body having a mouth, and a cap that opens and closes the mouth of the container body. The cap can be generally classified into a screw-coupling type or a one-touch type according to an opening and closing structure.
In the case of a screw-coupling type cap 130, shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, a female screw portion is formed on an inner circumferential surface of the cap 130 in correspondence to a container body 110 on which a male screw portion is formed on an outer circumferential surface of the mouth of the container body 130. In the case that the cap is completely separated from the container body, it may be polluted or lost. Accordingly, a fixing ring 133 for preventing the cap from being separated from the container body 110 is provided at the lower portion of a cap body 131 so that the cap is maintained to connect with the container body at the time of opening a container 100.
In addition, the cap body 131 and the fixing ring 133 are connected by a plurality of bridges 135 that are radially formed. When the cap is opened, the bridges 135 are separated to then enable a user to recognize whether or not the container 100 has been opened.
Since the fixing ring 133 is combined with the container body 110 so as to rotate in the above-described conventional technology, the opened cap body 131 rotates together with the fixing ring 133, and the cap body 130 is located downwards by dead weight at the time of pouring the contents, and then caught by the mouth or chin of the user, to thereby provide the user with the feelings of discomfort and burdens and cause dirtiness due to the cap polluted by the contents.
Meanwhile, in the case of a one-touch type cap 130A shown in FIG. 20, a fixing ring 133a that is fixed to a container body and a cap body 131a that performs opening and closing operations are connected by a hinge portion 135a. 
The hinge portion 135a is formed thinly in thickness and with a stepped portion, in comparison with the cap body 131a and the fixing ring 133a. A width of the hinge portion 135a that connects between the cap body 131a and the fixing ring 133a is formed in a fashion that the width becomes gradually large as it goes toward both sides of the hinge portion from the middle portion of the hinge portion in correspondence to spaces between the cap body 131a and the fixing ring 133a at the time of opening the cap of the container. Accordingly, the cap body can be stably connected with the container body at the time of opening.
However, since a deep stepped portion, that is, an undercut portion is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the cap due to the hinge portion 135a, the fixing ring 133a and the cap body 131a are injection-molded inevitably in an unfolded form at a state where the hinge portion 135a is interposed between the fixing ring 133a and the cap body 131a. Thus, an area of a mold for producing a single cap becomes as wide as two times or more. As a result, the number of caps that can be produced through a single mold falls down to the half or less, to thus halve productivity of the mold.
On one hand, since the fixing ring 133a and the cap body 131a are injection-molded in the unfolded form, they are cut at the time of opening the container, to thus cause a defect of employing no structure that allows a user to check whether or not the cap is open.
On the other hand, the screw-coupling type cap having the bridges according to the conventional art has a difficulty of injection molding due to an undercut portion to thereby make it difficult to perform a stable connection between the cap and the container and to realize the hinge portion that does not cause the cap body to be shaken at the time of opening, as in the case of a one-touch type cap.
To solve the above problems or defects, it is an object of the present invention to provide a container for preventing loss of a container cap and unintended loose rotation thereof, by preventing loose rotation or wobbling of a container cap body by means of a sub-connector formed at either side of a main connector, at a state where the container cap is open, maintaining a stable posture of the opened container cap to thus remarkably enhance the feeling of use.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a container for preventing loss of a container cap and idle rotation thereof, by preventing an undercut from being formed at the inner side of the container cap due to a hinge portion to thus reduce occurrence of inferiority through easy injection molding and to thereby double productivity of the container cap through the injection molding.
To accomplish the above and other objects of the present invention, according to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a container for preventing loss of a container cap and idle rotation thereof, the container comprising:
a container body having a mouth provided with a male screw portion;
a fixing ring that is prevented from seceding from the container body;
a container cap body on the inner circumferential surface of which a female screw portion is provided in correspondence to the male screw portion of the container body; and
a container cap provided with a hinge portion connecting the fixing ring with the container cap body,
wherein the hinge portion of the container cap comprises:
a main connector that connects the container cap body and the fixing ring; and
a sub-connector formed at either side of the main connector and having a narrower width than the main connector,
wherein a portion of the main connector connected to the container cap body and the fixing ring is formed into the same thickness as those of the container cap body and the fixing ring, and
wherein the main connector has an inflection portion that is depressed in a curvature form or in a “v-shaped” form inwardly or outwardly at an intermediate portion in height, to thereby have minimum thickness.
Preferably but not necessarily, a cutting line for extending a connection length with respect to the container cap body is horizontally formed on the fixing ring in a section where the container cap can be opened while maintaining a state where the container cap body has been connected with the fixing ring, at a state where the fixing ring is fixed by a support projection of the container body around directly below the hinge portion.
Preferably but not necessarily, the container is characterized in that: a female screw portion corresponding to the male screw portion of the container body is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the fixing ring; indent locking portions that correspond to each other are formed between the container cap body and the fixing ring at a position corresponding to the hinge portion; locks that correspond to each other are protrudingly formed on the inner circumferential surface of the fixing ring and the upper portion of the screw portion of the container body, in order to prevent the fixing ring from seceding from the container body; and the locks are provided in a ratchet form in order not to interfere with rotation of the container cap in a locking direction.
Preferably but not necessarily, the container further comprises: a sub-fixing ring that is caught by the support projection that is formed in the container body and that is prevented from moving upward below the fixing ring, wherein one or more bridges that are cut at the time of opening the container cap are formed between the fixing ring and the sub-fixing ring.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a container for preventing loss of a container cap and unintended loose rotation thereof, the container comprising:
a fixing ring that is prevented from seceding from a container body;
a container cap body that opens and closes the container body, and on the inner circumferential surface of which a screw portion is formed;
a hinge portion that connects the fixing ring and the container cap body; and
a plurality of bridges that are formed between the container cap body and the fixing ring and are cut at the time of opening the container cap,
wherein a cutting line for extending a connection length with respect to the container cap body at the time of opening the container cap is formed on the fixing ring in a set section of the circumference of the fixing ring around directly below the hinge portion,
wherein the hinge portion comprises: a stay that is extended toward the fixing ring from the container cap body, is spaced from the fixing ring, and comes into the inside thereof at the time of opening the container cap, to thus maintain the opened state; and connectors that connect the container cap body and the fixing ring, and
wherein a plurality of support wings are formed on the inner circumferential surface of the fixing ring, in which a cushion pad that is extended from the stay, to thus erect upright at the time of being mounted on the container body and elastically support the stay at the time of opening the container cap is formed adjacent to the stay.
In the case of a container for preventing loss of a container cap and unintended loose rotation thereof, having the above-described structure according to the present invention, inner surfaces of a main connector and sub-connectors that form a hinge portion are formed on the same plane as that of a container cap, and parts of a container cap body and a fixing ring that are located in the neighborhood of the hinge portion are depressed into an inclined plane, respectively. Accordingly, the container cap is smoothly opened and an undercut portion is prevented from being formed at the inner side of the container cap due to the hinge portion to thus reduce occurrence of inferiority through easy injection molding with respect to vertical connection between the fixing ring and the container cap body and to thereby double productivity of the container cap through the injection molding.
In addition, the fixing ring is screw-coupled with the container body and is rotated and escalated along screw threads together with the container cap body and the fixing ring is prevented from seceding by locks, to thus prevent loss of the container cap and maintain a stable posture of the opened container cap by a holder, and to thereby remarkably enhance the feeling of use.
In addition, a stay and a cushion pad are provided in the hinge portion, to thus make the cushion pad support the stay elastically at the time of opening the container cap, and to thereby make the container cap softly opened and maintain a stable opening angle of the container cap.